


Most Perfect Place on Earth

by darkesky



Series: picking up the pieces [6]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 15:16:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16915311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkesky/pseuds/darkesky
Summary: When Markus and social services went searching for someone to watch over Emma, Kara couldn’t help but step up to the plate. This was a little girl who deserved someone who granted the world to them.But Emma’s human. Can Kara be a mother to a human?---Kara learns how to be a mother again, and she protects her new family.





	Most Perfect Place on Earth

The world spins out of control underneath her feet. No matter how hard she tries to cement herself, Kara ends up stumbling and falling over herself. Whatever she thought her life would be after the revolution, it wasn’t  _ this.  _ Kara wants to be a mother more than anything but… Alice isn’t like Emma. 

When Markus and social services went searching for someone to watch over Emma, Kara couldn’t help but step up to the plate. This was a little girl who deserved someone who granted the world to them. Her mother neglecting her for red ice… Well, it sure sounded familiar. Besides, Alice deserved to get some more playmates inside her life.

But Emma’s  _ human.  _ Can Kara be a mother to a human? She only ever watched over Alice, and Alice is something  _ special.  _ Even when Kara really, truly thought Alice was a human, Alice was still an android. 

She’s not prepared to be a mother to someone else. Why did she  _ agree  _ to this? She should have let social services give Emma to Simon and Markus. While neither have  _ much  _ experience with children, they’re good with people. Markus led a  _ revolution.  _ He’d be able to handle parenthood.

“Kara? Are you still in there?” Luther’s voice drifts through the bathroom door, borderline  _ concern  _ in his voice. 

Taking a deep breath, Kara inspects herself in the mirror one last time. Would it look more professional to grow her hair back? Is the pixie cut just too much? At least she didn’t dye it white back when she cut it in Ralph’s house. It’d make her look like a teenager.

She straightens the skirt of her dress and spins on her heel. Unlocking the bathroom door, she smiles weakly at Luther. “Do I look nice?”

“You always look beautiful,” Luther responds. A smile curves across his face, and Kara feels her cheeks flood with blue. Lately, he’s gotten more and more  _ bold  _ about his affections. One kiss really can change the world… It did for Kara and Luther, and it did for North and Markus.

Ducking her head, she hurries down the hallway. This house came with two bedrooms, and its setup and architecture are  _ eerily  _ similar to Todd’s. It brings back only bad memories for her, but Alice adores it. Kara still, rather  _ frantically,  _ rearranged whatever she could. 

Knocking on Alice’s door, she leans her head against the wood. “Alice? You awake?”

“Give me a second, Mom!” cries Alice. There’s a sound of something rustling behind the door. Kara sends an amused look towards Luther, who laughs quietly to himself.

When Alice swings open the door, Kara pauses on the threshold of the room. Then, tears surprisingly push at her eyes. “Oh, Alice…”

“Do you think Emma will like it?” Alice sits in the windowsill, perched on the very edge. Throughout the room, Alice did up the room for two people. Where she set up her trademark tent, she replaced it with the bed Luther brought home for Emma. She experimented with a curtain rod hung above both beds, the blankets traditionally in the tent draped over the beds. When she pulls them shut, both girls will get all the privacy they want. 

Nodding, she stares at her daughter. “I think Emma will  _ love  _ it.”

“Luther helped me with these…” Alice scurries over to her bed, bouncing on the mattress. She taps the metal bars excitedly. 

Pretending to be surprised, she slaps a hand over her mouth. “You mean  _ you  _ don’t know how to metalwork?”

“Not yet!” Sparing a glance over to Luther, Alice forces her eyes wide. Kara regrets letting her spend  _ any  _ time with Connor because, at some point, she learned how to make the same puppy-dog eyes.

Kara steps aside to let Luther sneak into the bedroom, and he leans against the wall. “Little one, you can’t learn that.”

“But  _ Dad,”  _ whines Alice. 

Giggling at her family, Kara smiles brightly at the two of them. She wishes she could just capture these moments and keep them forever. Sometimes, things after the revolution are hard. Sometimes, people in the grocery store harass and make fun of them. Sometimes, people take their spray bottles and ruin their front doors and windows with hateful words. 

Alice told her she didn’t mind… She heard worse from Todd.

The doorbell rings, and Kara’s heart jolts inside her chest. Closing her eyes, Kara sucks in deep breaths just to keep herself from hyperventilating. Nobody ever doubted her motherhood with Alice except  _ herself.  _ But there is a new, unexplored territory with Emma. “This is it, Luther.”

“It’ll be fine, Kara. I’ve never met a more capable mother than you.” He reaches for her, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. She relishes the warmth and comfort before bounding forward, ready to go get the door.

\---

Emma’s small, timid. She keeps her head ducked and tugs on the ends of her ponytail just a  _ little  _ too hard to be comfortable. Bundled up in a heavy winter coat and a thick scarf, Kara can barely make out  _ any  _ facial features. Yet, Emma’s terrified, wide eyes bear into Kara with silent questions. 

Kara just wants to wrap her up and never let her go.

“I hope you realize this is an…  _ Unusual  _ situation,” the social worker announces. She studies the house with barely veiled hostility. The first place she stalks to is the kitchen, fully stocked with thirium  _ and  _ actual food. The woman throws open the cupboards and furrows her brow. “I thought androids didn’t eat.”

“Androids can  _ choose  _ to eat,” corrects Kara softly. Alice prefers to eat more than either of them, but Kara doesn’t mind it. If it’d make Emma more comfortable in this house, Kara would eat each and  _ every  _ meal.

The woman scowls slightly before pulling out one of the cans of soup. “Are you sure this is the  _ healthiest  _ thing for a growing girl?”

“I’m  _ sure  _ Emma has her own preferences for food. We can go grocery store shopping later for her favorites.” Kara places harsh emphasis on the words. None of these questions would have been directed at a  _ human  _ caretaker. 

Emma nods slightly, eying the coat rack. “Can I…”

“Of course you can.” She smiles at the little girl before offering to help her. While Emma stumbles with the zipper with her numb fingers, Kara gently tugs off the coat for her. She used to do this for Alice, but now Alice insists she’s all  _ grown up.  _ Luther tells her it’s just a phase, but it still stings slightly. 

The social worker turns on her heel before casting a steely-eyed gaze over their living room. “I see you have a TV. Do you have any  _ educational  _ entertainment tools around here, or no?”

“Of course we do. Alice has her books upstairs in her room, and we have board games. And we recently enrolled Alice in Detroit Community School. We help her with her homework right after dinner.” Focusing on Emma instead of the intruder in her home, she gently gestures up the stairs. “If you want, Alice is upstairs in her room. So is Luther.”

“And Luther is your  _ what?  _ Boyfriend?” The woman  _ tutts. _

Burying her teeth into her lips, she struggles not to say anything. “Yes, I suppose you could call him that. We don’t really like putting labels on anything.”

“It doesn’t sound like the most stable arrangement.” The woman doesn’t ask permission. Instead, she pushes past Kara and starts heading up the stairs. Kara’s tempted to follow, but one look at Emma clears the red haze of anger crossing her face. 

She gently grabs her small hand, pulling her into their living room. Emma follows obediently, never once saying anything. When Kara sits her down on the couch, she crouches in front of her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“That woman doesn’t like you,” Emma whispers.

Kara’s lips quirk into a smirk. “I couldn’t notice.”

“Is it always gonna be like that? I… I like Connor and you and… The other Connor. But nobody else seems to like you.” She kicks her feet helplessly, keeping her face downcast.

She’s  _ so much  _ like Alice. But Kara’s certain Emma didn’t use to be so reclusive. She used to be bold and bright and ballistic. It’s one thing to choose to be an introvert like Alice. It’s another thing to be terrified to be something else, to be what you used to be. 

She lifts her chin and smiles defiantly. “Well, I like  _ you.  _ And I like  _ us.  _ I’m not asking you to change the world with me… We don’t even need to leave the house if you don’t want to. And I’m not saying it’s completely safe to stay with androids. But I think you belong here, or at the very least, in a home where people can acknowledge just how  _ special  _ you are.”

Launching herself off the couch, Emma practically tackles Kara into a hug. She lets out a sharp breath before dissolving into a laugh. The little girl buries her face into Kara’s shirt. “Thank you.”

“I only said what I believe.” Kara pushes her back to inspect her a face, eyes leaping from each corner of her face. It’s a roadmap of hardship and trauma, something someone should  _ never  _ go through… Let alone at that age. “And if you’re worried nobody likes androids, I have friends to introduce you to. And besides, I thought you saw Detective Reed.”

“Detective Reed’s mean,” she blurts. 

Shrugging, Kara slowly gets to her feet and wraps her hand in Emma’s. After a second’s hesitation, the girl does the same. “He’s mean to everyone from what I’ve heard. But the point is, he has an android partner. The other Connor as you said.”

“I got saved by androids both times.” Emma stares down at the tips of her shoes. “But, the first time, it was because of an android. And he… He was my  _ best friend.  _ The people who took me away from my mom keep saying I’m allowed to be angry about androids, and I… I think they want me to. But I just… I think both sides are bad sometimes.”

“And both sides are good. Nobody in this house would  _ ever  _ hurt you,” Kara reassures. She starts bringing her up the stairs to Alice. “Now, c’mon. Alice wants to meet you.”

\---

Curled against Luther, Kara keeps her eyes trained on the TV. She blinks away the red alerts about her low power mode. She  _ hates  _ the fact her battery whittles away much faster than Luther’s. They’re based on what lifestyle an android would adapt, and someone decided construction workers had longer hours than the average childcare assistant.

“You should go to sleep,” announces Luther. Each word brings a rumble through his chest, and Kara sinks into his warmth. 

Then, she shakes her head. “I know what’ll happen tonight. And I want to be able to  _ be  _ there for her.”

“I’ll wake you up if she comes down.” He reaches for the TV remote, trying to turn off the show they’ve settled on. It’s a rerun of  _ Grey’s Anatomy,  _ but Kara never got a chance to watch it in the first place. Or, if she did, it was before she lost her memory due to Todd’s anger. 

She shifts it away from him, putting it  _ just  _ out of reach. It’s almost impossible to keep anything from Luther with how  _ wide  _ his wingspan is. The size difference is so  _ annoying  _ sometimes. Why is her frame so small? Why couldn’t she have been built a little bigger?

Then, she nods back at the screen. “I want to watch how this goes down.”

“It’s a medical drama. Don’t you see enough of that at the hospital?” He raises his eyebrow in silent question, and she shoves him away from her teasingly. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she studies the TV screen.

Slowly, the errors start slowing down her processors, and Kara can feel herself slumping against the couch. Giving into low-power mode, she allows her eyes to flutter shut entirely. She won’t be any help if she’s falling asleep on the newest addition to the family.

\---

Sure enough, Kara startles out of her doze with the sound of a shriek. Before Luther can even move from the couch, she’s on her feet and sprinting up the stairs. Jogging, she practically  _ flings  _ herself down the hallway to get to Alice and Emma’s bedroom.

Yanking the door open, she takes less than a second to take in her surroundings. On the left side of the room, Alice sits upright with her knees pulled to her chest. Her eyes are heavily lidded and confused, blinking to try and comprehend. On the other side, Emma thrashes in her sheets and cries at the top of her lungs. 

She looks up protocol for helping children with nightmares from her brain. Then, she slides next to Emma’s bed and gently tries to rouse the girl. “Emma…  _ Emma,  _ hey! You’re safe, you’re not there anymore. You’re okay.”

_ “Daniel,”  _ she croaks out, “don’t hurt me!”

“Daniel’s not here. He’s not around anymore.” Kara needs to ask Connor about the whole situation with Daniel. Whenever they end up talking, though, her mind drifts to the deviant hunter who chased her until she hopped the fence with Alice. Going across the highway may be one of the most terrifying moments of the whole journey to Detroit, just shy of escaping Jericho.

The little girl keeps shrieking, and she keeps whispering reassurances back at her. Kara gently threads her fingers through her loose hair and gathers her up in her arms. Eventually, Emma’s trembling stills.

The little girl looks up, blinking her big eyes up at Kara. “I’m… I’m  _ sorry.  _ I know I’m not supposed to… I…”

“Hey! Hey,  _ no.  _ You’re allowed to feel whatever you want, whatever you  _ need  _ to.” Kara makes sure to sneak steel into her voice. If Emma needs someone to be there for her, to be her  _ rock,  _ then Kara will make sure to do that.

Glancing over to Alice, she closes her eyes and establishes a connection with Luther. He must still be downstairs, attempting to let Kara do her own thing. 

_ ‘Can you get Alice out of here? I don’t want her to see.’ _

Emma starts to sit up before freezing, whimpering to herself. She glances down at the bed. As she shifts, it’s obvious what she’s trying to hide. Kara hums slightly and gets to her feet. “Emma, honey, it’s okay. It happens.”

“I’m  _ nine,”  _ she mumbles to herself. When she glances over, Kara notes the red blush and sweat mingling upon her face. 

Kara shakes her head and grabs out some of Alice’s pajamas. She makes sure to choose one of the pairs her daughter doesn’t  _ love,  _ but they’ll still be comfortable. Otherwise, both girls would be upset about this. Then, the android looks back towards her. “Come on. Let’s get you in a shower and cleaned up. I’ll wash your sheets and your pajamas.”

“Are you mad?” Emma keeps her head downcast, shaking as she passes Kara. She braces herself, though, fortifying herself with each and every step. It’s something eerily familiar to what happened before.

Hesitantly, she places her hand on the girl’s shoulder. The reaction comes in an instant. Emma flinches away and covers her face, desperately trying to keep Kara’s hands away from her. Then, understanding begins to dawn on her face as she shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I-”

“Don’t. It’s okay.” Kara’s skin  _ burns.  _ How could her mother have hit her? She’s… She’s so  _ small,  _ and she’s barely nine years old. How could she have even thought it’d be okay? Humans are too  _ fragile.  _ And all children deserve to be in a bubble of protection, reluctant to be let go of.

Guiding Emma to the bathroom until touching her, she steers her towards the shower. Within the bathroom, she hangs up a fluffy white towel for her to use and starts the water for her. After testing it for a few seconds, feeling it go from icy to warm, she turns back to her daughter- to  _ Emma.  _ “I’ll turn around… Just hand me your clothes, okay? I’ll get them all nice and washed for you.”

“Thank you.” Ducking her head, Emma carefully wiggles out of her clothing while Kara keeps her eyes trained on the bedroom. When she gently tugs on her arm, she takes the damp clothing and heads back to the soiled sheets. 

As Kara begins to strip the bed and gather up the sheets, she can’t stop the thoughts in her head from spinning wildly. More than anything, Kara wants to make  _ sure  _ Emma’s mom never gets back to her. She wants to make sure Emma never deals with the consequences of her mother and father’s bad decisions anymore.

Heading down the hallway, something sticks her feet to the ground right outside the bathroom. As she presses her ear against the door, Kara waits to hear sounds of life from within the bathroom. A quiet sob shakes through the door. Biting down on her lip, Kara struggles not to burst in right then and there. But she deserves privacy to express herself.

Before she reaches the laundry room, she gets bombarded by Alice. Her daughter races up to her and starts a quiet barrage of questions. “How’s Emma? Is she okay? Is she embarrassed? Does she want me to sleep down here tonight?”

“Slow down, Alice. Emma doesn’t need to make any decisions yet.” She looks to Luther helplessly, trying to manage both of the children. Then, hurrying to the laundry room, Kara dumps all of them into the washing machine. The water begins to stream and cascade over the clothing and blankets. With a sad smile, Kara watches the washer begin to churn. 

She hears Luther’s presence before he speaks. “Kara, are you okay?”

“I just  _ don’t  _ understand it.” If Kara actually looks at Luther, it’ll make all of the feelings battering inside of her real. It makes all of her anger voiced and disappointment out in the open. So… She doesn’t. “How can anyone treat their children like that?”

“I don’t understand it either.” Luther gently places a hand on her shoulder, and her hand drifts up. Squeezing his fingers, she takes a deep breath to steady herself before heading back up to greet Emma. 

When Kara stands outside the door, she can’t hear the sniffling anymore. Rapping on the door, she waits for a response. “Hey, Emma? Are you ready to come out?”

“One second.” An odd hiccup enters the little girl’s already shaky words, and Kara walks across the hallway and deflates against the wall. Running a hand through her hair, she tries to calm her already exposed nerves. How is she supposed to make Emma feel  _ safe  _ here? Maybe she isn’t suited for this. Maybe… Maybe Kara really  _ is  _ a bad mother like the social worker described. 

\---

“Tell us a story,” Alice calls before Kara leaves the bedroom. Emma slunk back into her bed without another word, burying herself under the new blankets. The shame ripples off of her in an infectious way. Alice kept herself silent as well, unafraid to unsettle the fragile peace in the room.

Kara pauses, looking to Emma. “If you want one?”

“If you don’t mind,” mumbles the girl. She keeps her gaze trained on the wall, not able to meet her eyes. 

Clearing her throat, she crosses the room until she reaches the windowsill between the two beds. Climbing on it, she closes her eyes and begins to dream up a story. It’s obvious Alice doesn’t like the traditional ones she programmed into her head. Kara actually began to delete some of them. Some remain Kara’s  _ personal  _ favorites, so she doesn’t know how to get rid of them. 

Leaning her head back against the window, she glances over at Alice. “What kind of story?”

“A… A  _ happy  _ one.” She sends a glance over Emma, trying to gauge the other girl’s response. When nothing comes, Alice looks back to her with big, hopeful eyes and nods. 

Clearing her throat, Kara begins the only way she’s ever really known how. “Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was brave and courageous, but this  _ shadow  _ seemed to follow her around like a dog. No matter what she did, she couldn’t shake it off of her.”

“Is the shadow like  _ our  _ shadow?” whispers Alice, keeping her face directed at the ceiling. 

Flinching slightly, Kara nods slightly. Their shadow will, forever and always, be Todd. No matter how they try and escape him, he’ll still loom over their heads. “One day, the little girl met guardian angel. He came through the flames, surrounding her with light and burnt away all of the shadow’s remains.”

“RK900,” murmurs Emma. She yanks the blankets tighter without another word. 

Tonight, apparently neither girl wants to play along with the metaphors and the fantasies. It’s hard to continue onwards in the story now. “So, the guardian angel brought her somewhere  _ safe.  _ Someplace where the shadows could never reach her again, and the little girl could  _ thrive  _ in the light once more.”

“Does she? Thrive?” Alice shifts to meet Kara’s eyes, biting down on her bottom lip.

All she does is offer a slight nod before a smile begins to twist at her face. “Of course. Because the little girl will always be safe in the light… And she lived happily ever after.”

The words hang in the air long after Kara finishes the story, long after she goes to the closet to collect the blankets. She lays them over her legs and cuddles against the wall. Tonight, she’ll sleep in their room. Tonight, she can be their guardian angel and watch over them. 

And tomorrow will be a brand new day.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhhh, Kara is one of my new favorite characters if you can't tell. She's definitely grown on me (not that I didn't like her before), but I absolutely adore her now after replaying Detroit. Every interaction she has with Alice is just so PURE!!


End file.
